What’s #Joy Got To Do With It (Part 2): Watch for This

Hello friends, continuing from yesterdays post on “Joy: The fruit of the spirit” (Gal. 5:22) This subject of fruit bearing has been pressing on my heart a lot this season. Last couple weeks, I blogged on “love” (The christ kind of love) and then yesterday, I started “Joy” and today I’m continuing; specifically identifying the things that steal our joy and how to deal with these so that our joy will remain and be complete! Also, there is a revelation about joy being a bucket which I’m going to share at the end….

WATCH OUT FOR JOY-STEALERS

• Disobedience: Its quite challenging to be completely joyful when you are walking in disobedience because you are constantly looking over your shoulder to see what’s coming; because you know you are not walking in the light of his word. This is why David cried out to the Lord and said “RESTORE to me the JOY of Salvation” (Psalm 51:12). Salvation is a complete package but in David’s disobedience, he veered off into his own thing and when he realized that it was not as satisfying as he hoped, he yearned for the true joy he once had in the Lord. He cried out for restoration of that completion he had while in fellowship with the Lord. And the good news is when he did, the Lord heard his cry! And he will hear yours and mine too if we call on him. As you call on the Lord for restoration of this joy, I believe that out of his love he will restore HIS joy to you (Jeremiah 33:3)

• The enemy & Temporary Challenges: If I  gift you with say a cake, and you come back and realize half of the cake has been eaten and you know very well I gave you a complete cake but you came to find only half left, then you should know that someone is illegally partaking of the gift; and you must cut off their access to your gift! In other words, if you are opening your eyes, ears, heart and soul to  misery, depression, low self-esteem etc i, you should be cutting those things off before they eat from your wells of joy. The struggles of life can try to steal your joy, I understand. Waiting on things that never seem to happen can try to eat your joy but as I tarried in Lord over a big case that had been pending since January, the Lord broke through for me in an OVERNIGHT miracle just like that and I thank God that while I was going through the process I allowed myself to experience His joy instead of waiting for the answer before being joyful. Does it mean I wasn’t worried sometimes? Of course I was on several occasions but I refused to allow the enemy to cause me to recoil or refuse to preach the word of the Lord or be joyful; the deep-seated joy of the Lord in my spirit is what sustained me. Joy is not a thing you wait for on Friday or 25^th June or 31^st July or spring 2016 (random dates). Joy is a gift for the NOW and we should stop anticipating to have joy in a mysterious future to come! Don’t let the enemy and temporary challenges steal your NOW joy in Christ. There is an end for all the struggles and your expectation will not be cut off (Prov. 23:18) so hold fast to the Gift of Joy okay.

• Lack of Spiritual discernment: You have to be very discerning in this life, if the enemy is launching something to steal your joy he first tries to distract you from your focus on Christ and then give you a new focus; the new thing you are focused on gives your mind reason to exchange Christ’s joy for that thing. But not on my turf! When I discern such things coming, I just block it one time! I wont even give it attention; I will intentionally avoid it and cut the cues that lead me to it altogether. It will not have my ear, neither will it have my eye or my heart. I’m telling you. Pray in the Holy Spirit or in the understanding and build your most holy faith. Shut the door to every joy stealer—be it words, sights, thoughts, the enemy, insecurity, pain, hurt, delays, frustrations etc and remember that Christ has been commissioned to give YOU the OIL of JOY especially if you MOURN even in a good place, Zion. Am I saying troubles will not come? Nah. Am I saying there will be no afflictions? Nah. What am I saying? That there is an oil of Joy that never runs dry and the paradoxical thing is its reserved for you! (see Isaiah 61:1-3)

God has made provision in Christ for your joy. When people have not first established their joy in the Lord, other forms of joy easily become idolatory: relationships, degrees, titles, flimsy temporal passing of life etc. Again, there is no problem with any of these. In fact, I would want you to even have all of it and more. My point is, if your joy is tied to “things” and not flowing from the deep-seated wells of your fellowship with Jesus, I am concerned about the longevity of your joy. Finally…. Joy is like a bucket…..

• KEEP FETCHING MORE ABUNDANCE WITH YOUR JOY!

…..Bible says Joy is essentially like a bucket with which you draw water from wells of salvation (completeness and wholeness). Because Christ is committed to appoint you with the oil of Joy, anything that causes you to “mourn” in life, your walk with the Lord, school, family, relationships, life assignment, etc there is an antidote called: Joy for you today. And the joy doesn’t only satisfy you but it serves as reservoir to access deep wells of abundance of water (life)! The Joy is in Christ, it’s in your fellowship with him, its in his love for you, it’s in his word and ordinances, it’s in his presence and its in the deliverance and triumphs he has won for you. Receive this antidote of Joy! As always feel free to send questions, comments over. In the coming weeks….will blog on #PEACE. Anyone need Peace? May you have peace in the Lord now and always amen! Look out for “Whats #Peace Got To do With it” in the coming week(s). Stay in Love ( and joy too) R.